



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS 



OF 



THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 



Prepared by 

MAYBELL G. BUSH 

State Supervisor of City Grades 



Issued by 

C. P. CARY 

State Superintendent 



Madison, Wisconsin 
1918 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS 



OF 



THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 



Prepared by 

MAYBELL G. BUSH 

State Supervisor of City Grades 



Issued by 

C. P. CARY 

State Superintendent 



Madison, Wisconsin 
1918 



n, of D. 
Ffc.8 10 1919 



&* 



31 



FOREWORD 

As the title indicates this bulletin is to be used as a guide by 
teachers who have pupils who do not speak English. The prob- 
lem for the teachers in such cases is a very real one and unfor- 
tunately many teachers are not prepared to solve it. For days 
and weeks in some cases such children get little if anything out 
of the school. This is extremely discouraging to all concerned. 
The use of this pamphlet prepared by Miss Bush (who has had 
much experience with such pupils) is sure to prove helpful. 

C. P. Cary. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Pages 

I. Introduction 7-8 

1. Wisconsin Conditions 7 

2. Opportunities for improvement 7 

a. Compulsory education law 7 

b. Increased emphasis on English 7 

c. English for adults 8 

d. English for all children 8 

II. General Suggestions 9-17 

1. The kindergarten 9 

2. Grade I, all classes of schools 10 

a. Time allotments 10 

b. Phonics 11 

c. Mixed grades 11 

d. Language work in mixed classes 11 

e. Flexibility in mixed classes 12 

f. Stimulation of interest 12 

g. Basis of subject matter 13 

h. Dramatic ability 14 

i. Necessary equipment 14 

(1) Pictures 14 

(2) Chart 15 

(3) Printing outfit 15 

(4) Association cards 15 

(5) Phonetic cards 15 

(6) Card frames 16 

(7) Seat work 16 

j. Incidental teaching 16 

k. Free play periods 16 

1. Writing 17 



L o 



6 contents 

Pages 

III. Typical Beginning Lessons 18-27 

1. Series based on action words 18 

a. Walk and run 18 

b. I walk, etc. 19 

2. Series based on object words . 20 

a. Book, fan, etc. 20 

b. More object words 21 

c. I have a , etc. 21 

d. What have I? etc. __: 22 

3. Series based on general vocabulary 23 

a. Bean bag game 23 

b. The school yard 24 

c. A picture 25 

d. A walk after school 26 

e. Natural phenomena 26 

IV. Textbook Work 28-31 

1. The book as a motive 28 

2. Standard first grade accomplishment 29 

3. Reasonable accomplishment for non-English 

grades 30 

V. Helpful References 32 

1. Textbooks 32 

2. Other material 32 



INTRODUCTION 

Wisconsin Conditions 

In 1917 there were in Wisconsin 512,569 foreign born in- 
habitants. They live in all parts of the state and their chil- 
dren attend school in every county. The findings in our re- 
cent draft registration revealed conditions that are most 
startling. In one county of the state 76 men presented them- 
selves to the draft board for examination. Of these 60 spoke 
German only or a very few words, of English. (Current Opin- 
ion May, 1918, p. 305). These men are all of voting age. 
What do they know of American ideals? What knowledge 
have they of national needs? Our state as a whole has today 
32 illiterates for every group of 1,000 population. In some 
counties the rate is as high as 90 illiterates to each 1,000 in- 
habitants. 

Opportunities for Improvements 

(a) Compulsory Education Law: 

Are our schools able to change these conditions? To a large 
degree they are. We have a compulsory education law which 
must be more rigidly enforced. School officers and teachers 
must be alert to discover newcomers in any district. For- 
eign parents are often ignorant of the law but are glad to 
comply with its provisions when they understand them. The 
floating population in every community must be constantly 
checked up to make sure that all of the children of school 
age are attending school somewhere. 

(b) Increased Emphasis on English: 

We must make sure also that every child who attends any 
school learns sufficient English to read newspapers and maga- 
zines and to carry on ordinary conversation in the language 
of the nation. We must urge that every little six-year old 
foreign child who is physically fit come to school in order 



8 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

that he or she may not become a badly retarded pupil because 
of inability to speak English. 

(c) English for Adults: 

Adults should be gathered into night schools or home study 
classes. Every teacher in Wisconsin must work untiringly 
to wipe out illiteracy and to encourage the use of English in 
every home in her community. She can do much toward ac- 
complishing this by beginning in her classroom to teach Eng- 
lish to the timid little people who cling to older brothers and 
sisters who are in turn only a trifle less shy. They, too, 
must receive help from their teachers in the mastery of the 
new tongue so that they can learn to think in the language 
of democracy. 

(d) English for all Children: 

We are all familiar with the difficulties which attend the 
mastery of the processes of* reading, writing, and spelling by 
the normal child who comes to school with a speaking vocab- 
ulary of six or eight hundred words and who is constantly 
adding to this by means of his home associations. If we com- 
pare his problem with that of the child who comes from the 
home where a foreign tongue is spoken we realize its seri- 
ousness. This latter child thinks in his native language and 
is utterly confounded at the mysteries attending the perform- 
ance of the simplest tasks of the American schoolroom. Is 
it any wonder that the non-English child sits day after day 
in some schools refusing to make a sound? 

The experience of the teachers in Porto Rico who tried to 
teach primary reading to beginners using American text- 
books shows the futility of endeavoring to accomplish any- 
thing like satisfactory results, without first teaching the lan- 
guage in which the book is written. Without the language 
background it is impossible for a child to learn to read. 
Though he may learn to call words with a fair degree of suc- 
cess, this process is not reading. The pupils in our schools 
must first master English sufficiently to comprehend the vo- 
cabulary of the primer in use before they can learn to read 
in the true sense. 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DATS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 9 



II. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS 

The Kindergarten 

The most effective agency for teaching the necessary amount 
of English to the foreign child to enable him to master read- 
ing is the kindergarten. In every community where it is pos- 
sible to have one, a kindergarten should be established. Its 
training is founded upon the child's instincts. All of the 
children are therefore interested at once. Action, participa- 
tion, contact with real things, — these vitalize the new lan- 
guage for the child and he very soon learns to speak in order 
to satisfy his needs and the group needs. His progress is 
rapid. In kindergarten the non-English children should be 
given much more opportunity to speak than is customary in 
some schoolrooms. Every kindergarten teacher must feel her 
responsibility in this matter. By carefully planning her work 
many exercises involving repetition of common phrases and 
expressions can be arranged. Every time a new object is 
mentioned, care can be taken to give the children an oppor- 
tunity to repeat its name correctly. Articulation and pronun- 
ciation should receive special attention in songs and memory 
work. 

Skillful seating does much to increase facility in the use of 
English. By putting a bashful foreign child next to an ag- 
gressive little American, the stimulation is given to the former 
to pick up the language habits of the latter. It has been 
found that this unconscious teaching is a very expeditious way 
of accomplishing the desired result. This justifies the gen- 
eral practice of putting foreign and American children in the 
same classes. However, it is of course necessary to group 
the non-English children for the purpose of giving them defi- 
nite and intensive training in the use of English, in addition 
to the language work given to all of the children. 

The kindergarten teacher can also be of great service to 



10 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

the community by organizing mothers' classes in which she 
uses kindergarten methods of instruction with the adults, 
teaching them the English language, through the activities of 
sewing, cooking, singing, marketing, etc. 

Grade I, All Classes of Schools 

In schools where there is no kindergarten and in which 
several grades are assigned to one teacher, the task of teach- 
ing English and at the same time covering the course of study 
is most difficult but it must be attacked because the children in 
school today are the citizens of tomorrow. This bulletin is 
primarily intended to assist teachers confronted with just this 
problem. It is impossible to lay down prescribed rules of 
procedure. Many of the suggestions in this pamphlet will 
need to be greatly modified to suit various types of pupils and 
varying situations. However certain fundamental principles 
underlie successful methods. The teacher who assumes, the 
responsibility of teaching in a community where languages 
other than English are spoken owes it to her country to study 
her particular problems and to do her utmost to make English 
the language of Wisconsin. 

(a) Time Allotments: Reading, Language, Phonics: 

Since the rural and state graded schools have generally uni- 
form daily programs it is necessary that the lessons in English 
in these schools shall be short and that they shall fit in with 
the given time allotments. Under no conditions, however, 
should this work be omitted as, a little can be done effectively 
every day. In grades of villages and cities the work can be 
extended far beyond the limits suggested in this pamphlet 
since a much greater amount of time will be available. Teach- 
ers will find this a most interesting field for experimental 
teaching. Successful plans should be kept and passed on to 
oilier teachers, as there is very little available material on the 
subject of primary activities for non-English children. If the 
class entering grade one in September in any school is com- 
posed entirely of non-English pupils, the teacher can use all 
of the time allotted on the program to reading and language 
for the type of work given in this bulletin. 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD H 

(b) Phonics: 

It is generally conceded that it is best with foreign children 
to begin regular work in phonics immediately. The prac- 
tice in articulation is greatly needed by these children and 
they have very little difficulty in grasping this subject. Id 
so far as possible the words taught in the phonics class should 
reinforce the other vocabulary work that is being attempted. 
If the phonetic method of the basic primer introduces words 
which will have no content for the foreign child it is recom- 
mended that part of the phonics work be based on the vocab- 
ulary being taught to the children in the reading and lan- 
guage classes in order to maintain continued interest. 

(c) Mixed Grades: 

In schools in which the beginning class is made up of some 
children who can speak English and also of a number who 
cannot, it is obvious that it is unfair to delay the work in 
reading with those who are able to do it. On the other hand, 
some schools have kept normal six-year old foreign children 
in a sub-primary class an entire year because they were un- 
able to speak English. This is a great injustice to the child 
who is old enough to learn to read. It is possible to put both 
types of pupils into grade one and to promote all or nearly all 
into grade two at the end of the year. In the beginning of 
the year two classes, will be necessary for the first grade pupils 
at the time assigned on the program to reading. The English- 
speaking children can do standard first grade work from the 
first day of school. The foreign children must be taught the 
language. The time can be divided or the classes alternated 
as seems best. 

(d) Language Work in Mixed Grades: 

Many of the language exercises suited to the needs of for- 
eign children involve troublesome verb forms in which prac- 
tice is just as necessary for the English-speaking children. 
Hence, the work in language in mixed classes can be so 
planned that while it contributes to the vocabulary of the for- 
eign child, it will at the same time serve to correct bad Eng- 
lish expressions for the American child. This makes possible 
the use of all of time assigned to language in grades 1 and 2 
of state graded or rural schools during the first part of the 



12 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

year for work planned with the needs of the foreign children 
in mind. However, in a rural or state graded school half of 
the reading period and all of the language period is much too 
short a time in which to do all that the teacher will wish to 
do. If any of the grades provided for on the program in 
either of these schools are not represented, that time could 
most profitably be given to special work in language with non- 
English children. This extra class should include all of those 
in the school who need this help. 

(e) Flexibility in Mixed Classes: 

Every progressive teacher expects her first grade to read 
several primers and first readers. When the English groups 
start their second primer, as they should do not later than No- 
vember or December, the first pages of this will be much easier 
than the material which the non-English group are by this 
time able to read easily. The two groups can undoubtedly be 
combined and can read the second primer together. Care 
must be taken that the vocabulary of the second primer .fits 
in well with that of the basic primer. Prom this time on the 
non-English group will need constant help to understand the 
vocabulary of the new book. The teacher must never neg- 
lect this part of the work. Whenever new words are taught, 
the meaning of every one must be made plain to the children. 
Often this can be effectively done by teaching the meaning of 
an entire phrase. It may seem that this will retard the prog- 
ress of the English-speaking children, but such is not the 
case. Frequently they can be given valuable language train- 
ing by being allowed to explain words to those who do not 
understand them. It will also be found that in a majority of 
cases words which need to be explained to the foreign children 
are far from clear in meaning to the American children. 
Careful instruction then in meanings of words and phrases is 
very essential throughout the entire year with all primary pu- 
pils. There is no reason why normal non-English children 
should not successfully complete the work of grade one in a 
year when they nw given thorough training in the Language 
in which they arc Learning to read. 

(f) Stimulation of Interest: 

Childhood's instincts arc the same the world over. Curi- 
osity, combativeness, play, Love of expression, and the desire 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 13 

to construct are the leading motives which prompt thought 
and action in every child. Upon these characteristics, then, 
common to all children must the teacher depend for proper 
stimuli to arouse the foreign child to the vigorous response 
which will result in constantly increasing ability and a grow- 
ing confidence in himself. 

Since self-consciousness is the greatest obstacle which the 
the teacher 6f non-English children has to overcome, how to 
do this must be her first thought. "Make haste slowly," is 
a good maxim for her to observe. She must at all times be 
very careful not to ask an individual child to do anything 
which singles him out from the group, unless she is absolutely 
sure that he will do it without embarrassment. 

It is necessary for the successful teacher to have two or 
three similar exercises in mind for each of the early lessons. 
If she finds that a lesson she has attempted to teach is not be- 
ing entered into enthusiastically she can at once change to 
another. Earnest activity on the part of all must be secured. 

(g) Basis of Subject Matter: 

The teacher of this work will of necessity be required to 
make her own detailed course of study and her own daily les- 
son plans for this work, because no two groups of children 
will have exactly similar needs. The vocabulary of the basic 
primer is the ultimate subject matter to be taught. To fa- 
cilitate the planning of the vocabulary lessons for non-Eng- 
lish children it is wise first of all to tabulate the words found 
on the first ten or fifteen pages of the basic primer into groups 
of nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. These lists serve as a basis 
for the successive lessons. After most of the words in the 
first lists made are taught, a second unit of the primer should 
be tabulated, together with words left over from the first ten 
or fifteen pages. In this way every word of the primer will 
be made full of content for the children before they attempt 
the process of reading. If it is found that some of the words 
do not name objects familiar to the children, or cannot read- 
ily be dramatized, these words should not be attempted at 
first. Or, if the basic primer does not deal with material 
which has come into the experience of these children or which 
can be made plain to them when the words are known, its vo- 



14 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

cabulary may of necessity be left for a little while, or the 
book changed for one more suitable. Words must be used at 
first which the child will hear and use, not only in school, but 
in his social contacts with other children at all times. The 
foreign child is intensely interested in knowing the names of 
everything which he sees on his, way to school, in the yard, 
in the store, and he wishes to communicate with other chil- 
dren. This truth must guide the teacher in her* selection of 
material. Above all else the child must be kept aggressive 
and eager. The vocabulary of the text must be mastered as 
soon as it can be done economically. The teacher's skill is 
shown in her ability to make the new material vital to the 
child. 

(h) Dramatic Ability: 

There is a personal equipment which every effective teacher 
of non-English children must possess. That is a strong dra- 
matic power. She must show by her tone of voice, by facial 
expression, by gesture, and by actually dramatizing, the mean- 
ing of practically all words and phrases that do not simply 
name objects. Nothing can in safety be taken as self evi- 
dent in this work. The foreign child must always be shown 
and made to understand. It requires much patience on the 
part of the instructor and ever present alertness to discern 
the .first indication of failure to grasp an idea. The teacher 
must act out the simplest things happily, almost playfully in 
several different ways. 

(i) Necessary Equipment: 

(1) Pictures: The successful teacher of foreign children 
will have well chosen pictures of everything avail- 
able which will touch the life of her pupils, or which 
will illustrate the work in the texts. The use of 
these pictures carefully mounted and arranged al- 
phabetically will help her to clear up many a diffi- 
culty which might have caused the failure of a lesson. 
The child must always be made to grasp the idea. 
He must be taught to let the teacher know if he 
does not understand. This is the only method 
which will accomplish the desired result. 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 15 

(2) Chart: The early work in reading will be greatly fa- 

cilitated if a large progressive chart amply illus- 
trated by pasted or drawn pictures can be made 
with one inch rubber type containing the sentences 
learned each day. These can be re-read for seat 
work and are most interesting to the children be- 
sides preparing them for the work in the primer. 

(3) Printing Outfit: All school supply companies sell small 

type holders and rubber type which are very prac- 
tical They enable the teacher to set up two or three 
lines which the children can print on cards or in little 
books of their own. In case it is impossible to have 
one of these sets, typewritten words, sentences, etc., 
may be used for individual sets of printed forms. 

(4) Association Cards: It will be a valuable aid to the vo- 

cabulary work if the teacher will prepare associa- 
tion cards for all possible Avords. These cards 
should be large enough to be seen all over the room 
and to contain both the written and printed forms 
of the word together with a picture illustrating its 
meaning or perhaps in some cases the object itself. 
The meaning of most action words can be easily 
shown by appropriate pictures. In a school con- 
taining several grades, the older pupils will greatly 
enjoy bringing suitable pictures for these cards. In 
some cases they may be allowed to make them. 

Similar smaller cards are excellent for seat work. 
Occasionally some of the English-speaking children 
might give assistance to the foreign children in pro- 
nunciation or in correcting matching exercises and 
similar activities from these cards. 

(5) Plionic Cards: A set of phonic cards is also necessary. 

These may be made in a variety of ways. They 
should follow the plan of teaching in accord with 
the phonic method is used. Sometimes these, too, 
may be used by little pupil teachers who will help 
their non-English mates to learn the proper sounds 
of the letters. It might be wise to take from the 
pack of cards those containing letters whose sounds 



16 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

are often given incorrectly as b, g, h, p. These 
can be more safely taught by the teacher who can 
make sure of the correct sounds by consulting the 
dictionary. 

( 6 ) A Card Frame : A wire or wooden frame in which cards 

may be arranged and easily changed is very essen- 
tial. The children should have free access to this 
frame in order that they may study the words for 
themselves. If it is portable, they may use it dur- 
ing* the seat work periods and "play school''. 

(7) Seat Work: Since the repeated association of words 

spoken, written, or printed with the object, action 
or idea, is the only way which the child has of 
learning, it is only just to provide as many associ- 
ations as possible to make the learning process ef- 
fective. Because much of the learning must be 
done during the seat work periods, the importance 
of the work planned for these periods is evident. 
Suggestions for suitable seat work will follow the 
type lessons, but the teacher must see that pictures, 
games, word cards, materials for progressive hand- 
work and later plenty of very easy reading mate- 
rial for these periods are available. In most cases 
school boards will gladly furnish necessary equip- 
ment if the order is made out in detail by the 
teacher and if good use is made of the materials. 

(j) Incidental Teaching: 

Much valuable knowledge can be imparted to the children 
by the alert teacher who is tactful in stopping often in any of 
her school work to mention the names of common things dis- 
tinctly, to illustrate them carefully, and to have non-English 
pupils say the names after her. She must conduct opening 
exercises that do not mystify and discourage these little be- 
ginners. 

(k) Free Play Period: 

The first grade American and non-English speaking children if 
possible should be given many free play periods in order that the 
latter may have an opportunity to learn the language through 
actual social needs. Quiet games and group work with 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 17 

blocks, beads, scissors, paste and paper are very profitable. 
In such ways each learns from the other as the foreign chil- 
dren are often very deft in handwork. 

(1) Writing: 

Training in writing may well be begun early. As soon as 
any words are known, the children are interested in the art 
of writing. Any short word composed of simple letters may 
be written upon the board. 

The children should trace the word on the board many 
times and then try to write it from a fresh copy. Soon they 
will be able to write several words of two or three letters 
each. To trace and write his name is a highly motivated ex- 
ercise for the child and he should be frequently allowed to 
do it until it can be well done from memory. 



18 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 



III. TYPICAL BEGINNING LESSONS 



Series Based on Action Words 

It goes without saying that foreign children will learn to 
read in their books much earlier if the vocabulary of the 
primer can be mainly used for the lessons in English. Most 
primers contain in their early pages such words as walk and 
run. These or similar words may well serve as a basis for 
an initial lesson. The teacher will wish to begin this lesson 
with a group game. It may be best in occasional schools to 
call all of the first grade children to the front of the room for 
the first lessons in order to be sure which pupils are not able 
to speak English. They may then be sectioned as before sug- 
gested. 

(a) Walk and Run: 

When the children are seated, the teacher may run lightly 
across the floor speaking the word "run" and then writing 
it on the board. Next, she may have all of the children run 
across the room with her saying "run". Vary the game by 
pointing to the word on the board and having the children 
scurry across the room. A card may here be introduced hav- 
ing the word printed distinctly. If this has been plainly un- 
derstood it is safe to introduce walk in the same way. If a 
card containing the word run also has walk on the reverse 
side, it may be tossed into the air. As it falls the children 
may do what the word on the side uppermost tells them to do. 
As a variation, the teacher may say "walk" and then "run" 
changing rapidly to see if anyone fails to perform the right 
action. Those who are "caught" may best sit down as they 
are evidently confused and will doubtless learn more quickly 
by watching the movements of the others. 

All of this should be thoroughly taught in ten or fifteen 
minutes. The teacher may then give each of the children 
cards on which a running child and a walking child are 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 19 

drawn (or cut out from a magazine and pasted securely) with 
the words written and printed (if possible) underneath. To 
accompany these, six to ten slips each containing either walk 
or run may be handed to the pupils. They should then be 
shown how to sort them into two groups and how to place 
each group under the right picture. This work should be 
snappy and only a small number of words given in order that 
it be really instructive. It is far better to have many kinds 
of seat work and to change often than it is to allow any one 
task to become aimless drudgery. 

(b) I walk, I run, etc.: 

The second lesson in this series should closely follow the 
plan of the first. A quick review will bring back the two 
words taught. The advance work might consist of the fol- 
lowing : 

TEACHER. I (pointing to self) walk (walking toward 
window) to the window (pointing to the window). 
PUPILS. (All rising and imitating teacher) I walk to 
the window. (Pupils had better then return to 
seats.) 
TEACHER. (As before) I walk to the door. 
CHILDREN. (As before) I walk to the door. 
TEACHER. (From midst of children near door) I run 

to the window. 
CHILDREN. (Running) I run to the window. 
TEACHER. (From window) I run to the door. 
CHILDREN. I run to the door. 

TEACHER. Walk to the seat. (Doing it and motion- 
ing for children to follow) Sit down, (illustrate). 

v When the children are all seated the teacher may smile and 
take a very alert child by the hand and get the child to say 
with her, "I walk to the window" as he does it. The teacher 
should show great pleasure and endeavor to get the child to 
go alone and say "I walk to the window." She may try an- 
other child going with him at first. If possible several indi- 
vidual children should go to the door or the window telling 
what they do. As each one performs the act and says a sen- 
tence, the teacher may put the sentence on the board, attract- 
ing the attention of all as she writes. The children may say 



20 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

the sentence again. Showing much satisfaction and calling 
it reading will give them the idea. Perhaps after several 
sentences have been written the children can begin at the be- 
ginning and say them. This can be truly called reading. In 
case no children seemed ready for individual work, the group 
work could continue and then close the lesson with the reading. 
In that event a third lesson might be given aiming to get in- 
dividual sentences from the children since it is very desirable 
to get them to speaking just as soon as possible. Praise and 
commendation for those who act independently will have its 
effect on inducing others to try to say a few words. 

Following this lesson the children might draw doors and 
windows putting the proper w T ords, (given to them on small 
cards) under each. 

Being guided, if possible, by the primer vocabulary the 
teacher can easily continue this series of lessons as long as it 
seems practical. Other pronouns may be introduced and 
children's names substituted to add variety to the sentences. 

Series Based on Object Words 

If the teacher prefers, the first lessons may also be based 
upon a list of object words taken wholly or in part from the 
primer provided they come within the experience of the chil- 
dren and are in themselves interesting. 

(a) Book, Fan, Flag, Knife: 

Book, fan, flag, knife are typical primer words. The 
teacher may begin the lesson by showing one of the objects, 
speaking its name and writing the word on the board just 
above the object which may be placed in the chalk tray. The 
card containing its printed name may be placed beside it. 
Letting the children say the words several times, each time 
varying the stimulation, will help to fix them in mind. 

A lively game aiming to teach, for example, "It is. a book" 
may be introduced as soon as three words are fairly well mas- 
tered. Not more than this number can be used to advantage. 

The teacher may hold up any one of the three objects and 
ask "What is it?" She will of course show the children how 
to reply by saying slowly and pausing after each word, "It — 
is — a — book." By repeating this two or three times the chil- 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD »J1 

dren can form the words accurately. Another object may ku 
held up and the question again asked. This time the reply 
should come easily. As soon as all have the idea, it is very 
desirable to have an aggressive child act as leader. Perhaps 
the children will take turns about the class, holding nip an 
object and asking "What is it?" Perhaps some individual 
answers can be secured. In that event the children may try 
to give the answers with some rapidity. This lesson might 
close by having the children read the words singly from the 

board and if possible the sentence "It is a " for each word. 

If the printed chart is ready they might read directly from 
the chart if the teacher prefers. 

Children will greatly enjoy coloring outline pictures of 
these objects and placing the right word forms (on cards) 
under them. 

(b) More Object Words: 

The second lesson based on objects can be made very inter- 
esting by adding two or three more objects with their names. 
The children may then place the right objects under their 
written names on the board. They may place the correct 
printed card by the corresponding object. Possibly they can 
put object and printed card together somewhere else in the 
room. A reading exercise from board or chart involving all 
of the words with "It is a " could finish this lesson. 

Beneficial seat work for the children might consist of cards 
on which are pictures, of all of the objects the names of which 
have been taught. Word cards to be put under the pictures 
should be given out and if possible the work of putting them 
under the pictures should be carefully supervised, perhaps by 
an older pupil. It will be noted that in this case there are 
many more opportunities for error than in the previously dis- 
cussed exercise. For this reason it is essential that the chil- 
dren receive help in order that good habits of work be estab- 
lished. 

(c) I have, You have: 

A third lesson can profitably aim to teach "I have a — ' 
and "You have a — . " One or two more object words may 
be added until there are six or seven words well-known in 
both their written and printed forms. The teacher may then 



22 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OP THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

hold up one object and say, "I have a book." To make 
have plain she may add I liave (showing it) a watch. I have 
(pointing to it) a nose. I have (showing it) a hat. This must 
be continued until the idea of have is clear. 

The teacher may then pick up another of the selected ob- 
jects whose names she has taught. As she says, for example, 
I have (a box) the children may say the word if she gives 
them the opportunity. After all of the objects have been held 
in succession by the teacher she may hand one to a child and 
say, "You have a book." At this point individual work may 
be easily introduced. A child may be induced to come to the 
desk, get an object, and say, "I have a — ." He may hand it 
to another child saying, "You have a — . " This child may 
then choose another object and proceed as before. 

This is a type of lesson that could profitably be taught to 
all of grade one during the regular language period as it tends 
to prevent through ear training the unnecessary use of "got" 
in this connection. 

Suitable seat work might well consist of a number of slips 
bearing the words, / have and You have, together with a cor- 
responding list of object words with their articles, e. g. a book. 
These the children may put together into sentences and may 
perhaps read them for older pupils or possibly for the teacher. 

(d) What have I, etc.: 

To continue this series, the interrogative forms may with 
profit be the subject of a lesson. As soon as "I have" has been 
taught, an interesting guessing game can be introduced to 
give practice in the question and answer. After reviewing 
the object words quickly the teacher may illustrate the new 
name by hiding perhaps a pencil behind her back and say- 
in «• "What have I?" The pupils are then eager to say "Have 
you a book?" The teacher will find it best to say simply 

No" or "Yes" to avoid introducing t lie negative form at 
lliis point. One after another may try to guess correctly. 
When one child succeeds, the teacher's pleasure will encour- 
age others to try harder next time. The successful guesser 
may become the leader, the class closing their eyes while the 
new leader chooses the object he wishes to hide behind his 
back. Pupils become very much interested in this game and 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 23 

may perhaps be divided into groups and allowed to play it 
quietly for seat work, using pictures or objects whose names 
they know. 

These lessons illustrate procedure when the work is begun 
with objects. Both the object and action words must be 
taught. 

Series Based ox General Vocabulary 

As has been stated, the desire of children to learn and their 
courage to attack new expressions must be constantly fos- 
tered. In order to make sure that every pupil's interests 
are being utilized to the utmost, the teacher of these interest- 
ing and inspiring little people, from the first, will carry on 
general vocabulary lessons based upon the out of school life 
of the children. 

If the teacher is familiar with the community life where 
she is to teach she can plan much of this work before school 
opens. She may wish to make her first lessons of this type 
in case the primer vocabulary is not practical for the non- 
English beginners. If the teacher is a stranger in the locality 
or is attempting this work for the first time the lessons pre- 
viously suggested will perhaps be best for the work of the 
first and second weeks. 

The general vocabulary work, however, should be begun 
just as soon as the teacher can familiarize herself with the 
local conditions and it should be carried parallel with that 
based entirely or in part on the vocabulary of the primer to 
be read. 

(a) Bean bag game: 

To get the children interested in vocabulary extension, a 
simple but lively bean bag game might be played until the 
children comprehend the game. A good game consists in 
placing the children one behind the other in two rows. A 
bean bag given to each leader is to be passed over his head to the 
next child, who in turn passes it back and so on until the last 
child has the bag. He runs to the front, the others stepping 
back, and begins to pass the bag as before. When the orig- 
inal leader reaches the front again the game is finished. A 
few moments will teach the game. After it is learned the 



24 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

children may race two or three times in order really to get 
the spirit of contest aroused. Several words will enter in as 
•'Go," "Run," "This row won," etc. These should go un- 
noticed but the word bean bag can be taught as before sug- 
gested and its card placed where the children can have access to 
it until it is learned. By substituting an eraser for the bean 
bag and playing the game, the word eraser then will be of in- 
terest to the class and may be taught. The children may then 
find things about the room that could be used to play this 
game. These objects can be named by the teacher or other 
pupils and their names taught by the method that was out- 
lined for object words based on the primer vocabulary. 

The association cards placed in the card frame will serve 
as a basis for seat work, which might consist of a drawing 
exercise aiming to draw objects from the cards or from about 
the room. The teacher may test this exercise later by pointing 
to the objects drawn and naming them. If she is wrong the 
child may point and the teacher name. The teacher should 
then give the child the correct word on a card for his own. 
If the weather is favorable the game which served as a basis 
for this lesson should be played out-of-doors at recess and 
the lesson finished at the regular period. 

(b) The School Yard: 

From this beginning the work in general vocabulary exten- 
sion may be continued in almost any direction. A second les- 
son might well consist of a trip around the school yard at the 
recess or noon intermission. The pupils should be encour- 
aged to ask the teacher the names of any object in which they 
are interested. She can do this by asking them to name ob- 
jects, then teaching them to ask her. Often one object thus 
named will suggest a dozen other words as bird, robin, spar- 
row, swallow; or fence, post, nail, board, high, strong, gray, 
painted, gate, hinge. These groups can be easily and lasting- 
ly taught in a very few moments after the children return to 
the classroom, by means of drawings or pictures from the 
teacher's collections. 

Interesting and novel seat work to follow this lesson can 
be made by pasting printed (or typewritten) words on the ob- 
jects in a good sized picture. Often appropriate advertising 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 25 

pictures printed on cardboard may be obtained from stores. 
Many of the objects illustrated in these pictures will be of suf- 
ficient size so that the printed board pasted on will still leave 
the object clearly visible. The large pictures may then be 
cut into irregular pieces and placed in envelopes with the vo- 
cabulary illustrated carefully listed on the outside of the en- 
velope. 

Many sets of these varying in difficulty are very useful. 
When the children have put them together an older pupil or 
the teacher may assist them in naming all of the objects they 
can. In some cases they may be able to work out the names 
of some objects phonetically. These puzzles may be increased 
in difficulty later in the year by being cut into smaller pieces. 
The children soon can write the names found in print on the 
pictures. Perhaps occasionally they may be able during the 
.final w r eeks to make original lists from these pictures. 

(c) A picture : 

A successful general vocabulary lesson is based upon a game 
consisting of object-naming from a large picture placed before 
the class. Each child in turn should point to an object which 
he can name and which has not been previously named. 
Scores may be kept. Every object incorrectly named may 
count against the pupil. As soon as their limited vocabulary 
is exhausted the class may choose new objects whose names 
they wish to know so that they may play a better game next 
time. The new T words thus acquired must be taught 
thoroughly and reviewed frequently by means of games and 
by arranging new needs for the use of these words. The 
same type of seat work that was planned for the previous 
lesson would be helpful in supplementing the work of this 
exercise. Occasionally two sizes of advertising posters are 
obtainable or smaller reproductions of a large picture may be 
found in magazines. These may be used for seat work. The 
teacher will soon learn to be always on the alert for material 
which may be adapted for non-English children. By con- 
stantly keeping in mind the word list of the entire primer 
much of this general vocabulary work can be made to func- 
tion directly in the future reading by greatly lessening the 
number of unfamiliar words. Chart reading lessons may be 



26 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

made from any of these exercises. Care should be taken that 
all parts of each sentence are meaningful to the children. 

(d) A walk after school: 

A union of school and home interests is most desirable. If 
the teacher is familiar with the community, she may take the 
non-English class after school for a walk to the home of one 
of the children. A long vocabulary list, much spontaneity, 
and parent interest will result. Every eager question should 
be carefully answered and the list of new words noted for 
future lessons. The next morning, a set of association cards 
with their pictures and names, — the outgrowth of the trip, — 
will furnish the necessary material for a most delightful les- 
son. After the words are learned, a short paragraph may be 
composed by the children with the help of the teacher. It 
may read somewhat like the following : 

We walked to Mary's house. We walked on the street. 
We saw stores, markets, and churches. We saw teams, autos 
and trains. 

If the walk were taken in the country, probably the group 
could go only a short distance and the following day's lesson 
could consist of word study with the cards and a paragraph 
something like the one below : 

We walked along the road. We saw trees, grass, flowers, 
stones, and birds. We saw cows, lambs, and pigs. We saw 
a brook and some fish swimming in the water. 

If the school furnishes the small printing frame and type 
for seat work the teacher could allow the children to make 
one or more pages for their own books from this lesson. They 
could draw pictures on the pages to illustrate the sentences 
printed. They will enjoy reading from the books they have 
made for the next lesson. 

(e) Natural Phenomena: 

The phenomena of nature as displayed from day to day 
will furnish material for many instructive lessons. Perhaps 
it is raining and someone has a raincoat, and someone else an 
umbrella and rubbers. After letting the children dramatize 
coming to school in the rain they will readily compose some- 
thing like this, paragraph: 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 27 

John has an umbrella. Mateo has a raincoat. Lucie has 
rubbers. We wear rubbers on our feet to keep them dry. 

This reading lesson will be very much enjoyed by the chil- 
dren and could well be followed by seat work prepared per- 
haps by older pupils. A set of sentences like the above could 
be written far enough apart to be cut into slips, These the 
children could rearrange to suit themselves. Thev could then 
read their stories and draw pictures to illustrate them, or the 
printing frame may be used and the children will enjoy il- 
lustrating the sentences to show the teacher that they under- 
stand them. 

Reading lessons of this type are meaningful to the child 
and successfully teach the process of reading. Many other 
sources of material for words and sentences will suggest 
themselves to the enthusiastic teacher ; but she must remem- 
ber to choose only from those subjects which she can make 
plain to all of the children by the use of objects, dramati- 
zation and pictures. 






28 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 



IV. TEXTBOOK WORK 

The Book as a Motive 

The greatest desire of the child when he comes to school 
is to read in a book. The teacher should bend her efforts to- 
ward satisfying this longing. • Just as soon as the vocabulary 
of the first few pages of the basic primer has been assimilated 
by use of the methods there suggested or others based upon 
the same general principles, the new books should be given to 
the children. The fact that they can read a few pages suc- 
cessfully and that it has meaning is the most impelling motive 
that could come to the child to inspire continued and increas- 
ing effort. It may be wise to let him take his book home and 
read to the parents in the new tongue. Perhaps this will be 
the means of inducing other members of the family to attend 
evening school when they see how quickly the little beginner 
has conquered so many difficulties. 

The child's future vocabulary work, board work, and seat 
work now take on an added interest. They are the keys 
which unlock the mysteries hidden on the attractive pages 
which the teacher shows to the pupil from time to time as he 
becomes able to read occasional sentences with understand- 
ing. Just as soon as the content of two or three more pages 
is in the pupil's possession, he may again have the privilege 
of reading in the book. 

As vocabulary growth increases the lessons in the book can 
become more and more frequent until they are of daily occur- 
rence. The usual primary methods of word study, sentence 
reading and finally the reading fluently of longer portions will 
be found just as effective with non-English as with American 
children. 

By sometimes having the American children tell the primer 
stories in language class, and having them dramatized and 
illustrated by drawings or cuttings much of their content 
can be revealed to the non-English children before they read 
these stories. 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 29 

As soon as they are able to read primers readily the instruc- 
tion of non-English and American first grade pupils is prac- 
tically identical with the exception of the increased help the 
latter need to gain proficiency in the use of English. 

Standard First Grade Accomplishment 

Classes of children and primary textbooks vary to some de- 
gree. Teachers, however, vary greatly in the amount of 
reading work they are able to accomplish with standard first 
grade classes. Some first grades in a year read fluently and 
understandingly in class more than a dozen different primers 
and first readers. They read many more books silently or to 
each other for seat work. In other classes the teachers have 
not caught the spirit of the work and their classes toil labori- 
ously a whole year to master one or two books. The results 
are easily contrasted. The children who have learned in 
grade one by much practice to be rapid silent readers, and 
pleasing oral readers find a real joy in reading. They will 
use reading as a means of recreation as well as a source of in- 
formation and self-improvement. On the other hand the 
children who found learning to read a wearisome process 
which yielded little satisfaction are not apt to make much use 
of the art which they found so difficult to acquire. This 
truth should stimulate the teacher to set a high standard of 
accomplishment and to be satisfied with nothing else. The 
reading of several easy primers and .first readers having some- 
what similar vocabularies gives an infinitely better founda- 
tion than does the reading and re-reading of one book in 
which the child has lost interest. After the first three or four 
books have been read under the teacher's direction the class 
may be given other easy books to read silently at their seats 
to increase their skill in rapid silent reading. Silent reading 
habits are being formed from the first and the teacher must 
be sure this part of the subject is. being intelligently taught. 
Suggestions on the Teaching of Reading by Miss Reynolds, 
The Common School Manual, and the Chapter on Instruction 
in the Janesville Survey are recent publications by the state 
department dealing with the subject of reading and empha- 
sizing silent reading. Every teacher should refer often to 



30 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 

these articles, for constructive suggestions on the teaching of 
Reading. They may be obtained by writing to the Depart- 
ment of Public Instruction, Madison, Wis. 

Reasonable Accomplishment for Mixed Grades 

It has been previously suggested that when the English- 
speaking group o^ first grade children begin their second 
primer, the non-English group could be combined with them. 
This requires, that by November or December the non-English 
children shall be able to read easily and understandingly any 
of the work they have covered, that they attack new mate- 
rial with confidence, and that they have practically the same 
ability to unlock new words by the use of phonics that the 
American children have. The foreign child is always at a dis- 
advantage in this process since he must depend almost en- 
tirely upon the phonic elements, to reveal to him the entire 
word. He cannot so readily guess the word from context 
when part of it has been sounded as can the American child. 
In "A Way to Reading" by Mary J. M. Larkin, Worcester, 
Mass., published in successive numbers of The Kindergarten 
and First Grade, (November 1917 — March, 1918, — Milton 
Bradley Company) she states, that after about fifteen weeks 
of instruction her class, composed of eighteen foreign chil- 
dren who were physically below par and often dull and apa- 
thetic, had completed enough foundation work to enable them 
to read any first grade book on her desk. She gives the de- 
tails of her plan of work and the articles would prove most 
helpful to any teacher of foreign children. 

Though we cannot expect that results as gratifying as these 
will reward the efforts of every teacher, the fact is empha- 
sized that great possibilities are stored up in these little peo- 
ple, and that under favorable conditions they learn with sur- 
prising rapidity. It is not expected that the teacher of an 
all-foreign or of a mixed first grade will complete the maxi- 
mum amount of grade work; neither should she be satisfied 
with a meager accomplishment. She should take for her mot- 
to "What others have done, I can do." By skillful planning, 
by untiring effort, and by asking help if she feels that her ef- 
forts are not bringing the results that they should, the true 



THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 31 

teacher of foreign children can so guide her pupils that in 
one year they will have learned how to read by reading sev- 
eral suitable books in class, and several others for seat work. 
Together with this training they will have a fairly compre- 
hensive knowledge, for children of their ages, of the English 
language. Better perhaps than either of these, she will have 
filled them with a desire to learn and will have taught them 
effective habits of work and good life habits. This teacher 
of non-English children will also have done her share to ex- 
tend the benefits of the school to the homes of her pupils and 
she better than anyone else, because she has done it, will be able 
to conduct successful classes to teach English to adults, who 
are just as eager to learn and nearly as diffident as were the 
little group who greeted her that .first Monday morning, but 
who after a year are ardent little Americans, 



32 THE FIRST SCHOOL DAYS OF THE NON-ENGLISH CHILD 



V. HELPFUL REFERENCES 



Textbooks 

The needs of adult foreigners wishing to learn English have 
prompted the writing of a number of practical books for eve- 
ning schools. Many of these books contain valuable help for 
teachers of non-English children. Some of them are intended 
for children as well as adults and are practical as primary 
reading books since they deal almost entirely with subjects 
which touch the daily lives of the children. Nearly all book 
companies furnishing school texts have one or more of these 
books for sale. Access to copies of several of these books 
will enable teachers to present work rich both in variety ami 
in content. A few of these texts are listed. 

English for Beginners. Fisher and Call, Ginn and Co. 
English for Foreigners Bk. I — O'Brien, Houghton Mifflin & Co. 
A First Book in English for Foreigners, Wallock, Silver, Burdett Co. 
First Reader for Foreigners, Sharp, American Book Co. 
First Book for Non-English Speaking People. Harrington & Cun- 
ningham, D. C. Heath & Co. 

Other Material 

Teachers will wish to read current writings on the subject 
of Americanization in connection with the work of teach inn- 
foreign children. The government bulletins are most instruc- 
tive. Libraries furnish packages of material on request. A 
few timely references are given. 

United States Bureau of Education Bulletin 51 — 1913. 

The Problem of Teaching English to the People of Porto Rico, Pad- 
in, Bureau of Supplies and Transportation. San Juan, P. R. 

My Mother and I (with an appreciation by Theodore Roosevelt) 
I.mIks' 1 1 nine Journal Oct., 1916. 

An Americanization Factory. Gregory Mason. Outlook. Feb. 23. 191(5. 

Illiteracy and Americanization, Bronsky, State Dept. Pub. Inst., 
Madison. 



